Orange Glow
by NewBrunswickXNovaScotia
Summary: A girl's dumb decision to break up two made-for-each-other soulmates sparks off a few strange phenomena, including the notorious "Orange Glow", in which their eyes appear to have a sinister, orange glow to them. Are they angry at her for splitting them up? Why is she having strange dreams? Can she find out what's causing this weird spectacle?


**Orange Glow**

It was just a stupid idea of mine; I wanted to be a total idiot and split up New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as the two of them were soulmates, I was high on excitement, and I wanted to see what life would be like if they had broken up. But now, these once-inseparable provinces of Canada are now worst enemies, and I have to live with the consequences…

Under my elation, which felt like being on an illegal drug, I selected New Brunswick and chose the option to "break up" with Nova Scotia. New Brunswick went up to Nova Scotia and some melancholic-sounding music began to play. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was angry and that she was done with him. After she'd broken up with him, I decided to be even dumber and make New Brunswick declare Nova Scotia as her arch-nemesis. The game decided to add insult to injury by saving this unhappy moment as a memory, so it would be forever inscribed in the Benjamin family's book of life.

From then on, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia avoided seeing each other. Even when New Brunswick said she was sorry for breaking up with him, Nova Scotia just wouldn't listen to her. Once, I got New Brunswick to ask Nova Scotia if he wanted to go out somewhere with her. "We're worst enemies and you want to hang out?" he roared furiously. "Get lost!" New Brunswick walked away, feeling down. I even made them eat out at a restaurant together. No good – Nova Scotia wouldn't change his heart.

After the break-up, I began to notice that the Benjamin's all had a strange, orange glow in their eyes. It was especially more noticeable on Nova Scotia. Why was this? Was it him being cross with me for breaking him and New Brunswick up? Or was it just the zoom setting on my game, and maybe I couldn't see his eyes that well? I just shrugged it off, thinking it was the latter, and continued to play my game normally.

However, that night, I had a strange dream. It lasted for only a few seconds, but as it was in colour and not black-and-white, I could remember what it was about. The space in front of me was completely dark, so it looked like I wasn't dreaming. But then a familiar person rushed out of the obscurity and attacked me, quick as a flash. I could see him long enough; it was Nova Scotia. I could see his angry shining orange eyes, his gleaming white teeth, and his furious facial expression. His big rosy fists seemed to be partly obscured by shadows, and I could feel his hot breath that smelled of the salty sea on my face. Just as he walloped me with his shady fists, I woke up and gasped. What was going on? Why did Nova Scotia attack me? I know it was just a dream, but what was happening? Did Nova Scotia want to get revenge on me for splitting him and New Brunswick up? I spent the rest of the night thinking about Nova Scotia's intentions, and beginning to regret what I'd done to him.

As I continued to play the game, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia's newfound antagonism went on thriving and well. I tried to get New Brunswick to have a friendly chat with Nova Scotia, but he refused. "No. Leave me be," he grumbled, folding his arms. "Okay…" snivelled New Brunswick, walking away with her head hanging down.

The sinister orange glow in the Benjamins' eyes seemed to become brighter and brighter the more I played with them. New Brunswick's eyes were now just as bright as Nova Scotia's. "Maybe she has the same intentions as Nova Scotia – to get revenge on me for breaking them up?" I thought. New Brunswick's "witchy" image didn't seem to help either. Then Nova Scotia enrolled at a local community centre to study music, which gave New Brunswick even more freedom to skive away from him.

Coming home one night from studying, Nova Scotia saw New Brunswick eating her dinner at the kitchen table. Her eyes nervously moved sideways to her ex-husband. "What do you want?" Nova Scotia growled, pouting. New Brunswick shivered in fear, then turned back to eating her dinner. Nova Scotia put down his backpack containing his music work beside the TV, grumbling. He went into the bedroom to go to sleep, as it had been a long day and he was very tired (and angry).

When New Brunswick had finished eating, I tried to make her sleep in the bed alongside Nova Scotia. She did just as I commanded her to, but Nova Scotia somehow knew she was coming. "Ngh," he complained, pushing her away. New Brunswick's lower lip stuck out sadly as she trailed off to the living room to sleep in there.

When I went to sleep that night, I had another strange dream. It was similar to the one I had last time, but this time it was all the Benjamins, not just Nova Scotia. They all looked the same as Nova Scotia had been in my last dream – angry glowing orange eyes, shady fists, and polished white teeth.

Nova Scotia stepped up slowly to me, his orange shiny eyes almost blinding me. "Do you know what you did to us?" he rasped, his hot, sea-smelling breath gusting onto my face. "Well, no…" I said nervously. "Yes, you do! You liar!" screamed Nova Scotia. "Me and New Brunswick were soulmates. We were meant for each other… But then you, yes, YOU… You had to go and make her dump me, because you said you were 'high'." The other Benjamins began to gang up on me, their shiny orange eyes looking like a car's headlights in the night. "You know," added Nova Scotia sarcastically, "You just made the biggest mistake of your whole life to break us up. Now you wish you could turn back time and stop yourself from making that silly decision of yours." He huffed angrily, the warm air billowing onto my face. "But, oh, sorry, Mrs. Creator Of Us, you can't do that now. Life goes on, and everyone makes mistakes. You have to accept them. Well, you won't be accepting your mistake anytime soon. And for that…" he continued, taking off his black ribbon and straightening it out, "You must be PUNISHED!"

I shivered in anticipation as he and the others moved in onto me. With a huge, bellowing yell, Nova Scotia lashed me hard with his ribbon. All the other Benjamins, even New Brunswick, cheered him on. I could feel the sharp edges of the ribbon cut my skin, leaving red streaks and a horrific, searing pain in their wake. I breathed in and clenched my teeth, trying to stave it off. Nova Scotia delivered a few more ribbon slashes, carving away into my skin. He then put the ribbon down on the floor, and indicated it with his slender index finger. "Get up, you fool!" he yelled. New Brunswick encouraged her ex-husband with euphoria, and Ontario made an offensive gesture at me. Resisting, I got up from the floor and walked along a few inches. Suddenly, the ribbon snared my feet and I tripped up, crashing down on the floor again.

Nova Scotia stomped the floor next to my ears so that I flinched from the deep, booming sounds his feet made. Then, he stood right above me, hands on hips, so I could see the crotch area of his lime green shorts. "Hey, Nova Scotia," I begged, "Get that out of my face!" Nova Scotia didn't listen, obviously.

"Oh, wait, I forgot something…" he mumbled to himself. He went to retrieve the ribbon from the ground, and he draped it over his shoulders, then proceeded to stand over me in the same position as he was before, though flipped around, looking smug. "Are you aware that I'm feeling a little ill right now?" he said, smirking. "What? He doesn't look ill…" I thought to myself.

At that moment, Nova Scotia ripped a huge one all over me. A brown sulphur puff blew onto my face. "Ugh…" I moaned. "Smell that! Hah!" he laughed. He wasn't usually like this – he was meant to be clean and pristine. "So that's what he meant when he said he was ill…" I thought, trying to waft away the awful stench. "What did you eat, man?!" I yelled out loud. Nova Scotia licked his lips, satisfied with his "doing". "Mmm… That extra-juicy lobster just has so much meat and flavour… And my system just wants to let you taste it!" He proceeded to cut another malodorous blast onto my face. "Smell my chocolate dust!" he giggled, kicking my arms with the sides of his shoes. I wriggled around in agony as the stinky gas entered my nose. "That shows her!" cheered New Brunswick, her hands up in the air, doing what seemed like a disco dance. Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec chortled loudly.

Nova Scotia then lifted me up from the floor and put his face close to mine. He let out a draught of halitosis onto my face. I was confused – his breath smelled as fresh as the sea before. Maybe it was the gas? "Ugh, eat a mint or something, man," I complained. "I don't need mints," roared Nova Scotia, and he puffed more foul-smelling breath onto me. A small fragment of something stuck to my cheek; I assumed it was something he'd eaten that hadn't been fully chewed up.

"Now for the finishing touch…" Nova Scotia smirked, rubbing his hands together joyfully. He jump-kicked me in the stomach and I fell on the floor for the third time. Nova Scotia crouched down over me. Overly-dramatic music played in the background as he lowered his face down to mine, which was unusual as this was a dream, not a film. The music reached a crescendo (I know, Nova Scotia's a music student, after all) as the tip of his nose was about a few millimetres away from mine. Finally, the music culminated in a huge explosion as Nova Scotia spat out an enormous gob of putrid saliva right onto my face. "Whee-hah!" cheered the other Benjamins, New Brunswick especially elated, doing a victory dance. "Good job, Nova Scotia! Good job!" All their eyes glimmered with joy, and Nova Scotia's saliva began to seep into my eyes.

Nova Scotia stood triumphantly over me as my sight began to worsen. "I… can't… see…" I moaned. Everything began to go all wavy, and their voices and laughter began to distort. "I'm… going… blind…" I groaned, as the picture became even more distorted. The screen turned black, grey, silver… and eventually white.

I opened my eyes rapidly, breathing very heavily. I touched my face and my eyes. No saliva. Then I looked down at myself. No cuts or blood. My sight was clear. The air smelled clean and crisp, like freshly-washed cotton. "Oh, thank God," I sighed in relief. I went back to sleep for a few more hours until my alarm woke me up.

Once I'd had my breakfast, I logged on to my computer and loaded up my game. The Benjamins all seemed to look normal again; the sinister orange glow from their eyes had gone. Then I checked…

Mystery solved – my zoom wasn't good enough. So I'd zoomed in a little more, and voila, their eyes were clearly visible.

Come to think of it, I think I CAN do something to make New Brunswick and Nova Scotia friends again, but I can't figure it out at the moment. So for now, New Brunswick will have to keep moving out of Nova Scotia's way whenever he's in the house. And I think New Brunswick has met someone new, so it might be no good getting them back together again.

Now, the "orange glow" incident was over, and I could get to solve the Benjamins' problems. Or so I thought…

Every now and then, when my zoom is at a poor level, the orange glow returns in the Benjamins' eyes – especially with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. "I want to forget you, Nova Scotia, but I can't," said New Brunswick. "Well, if that's what you want," Nova Scotia answered back. "We WERE soulmates, after all."

Nova Scotia visited a counsellor at a nearby community centre to talk about his problems. "See this, I get so angry with our creator splitting me and my ex-wife up," he complained. I could see that ominous orange glow in his eyes again as he talked. The counsellor scratched his head, because of dandruff. "Your creator, eh?" he replied, white flakes drifting onto his desk. Nova Scotia's eyes were as orange as a blazing inferno. "Yes," he said, very menacingly. And as if to scare me, he got up from his chair and turned to face me, his shiny orange eyes piercing into my soul. "I WILL get you one day!" he shouted furiously, saliva flying everywhere, banging his fist on the table. "Eeh…" laughed the counsellor nervously, cleaning the saliva off his face. I gasped in horror; he still wanted more revenge.

Before I went to sleep that night, I thought about what Nova Scotia had said, and what it could have meant. He surely didn't mean it? I mean, come on, he's a human being made on a computer, with artificial intelligence, along with the other Benjamins… He couldn't do fly, right? I decided to lay it to rest – it was the end of the day, and I needed some sleep.

I turned off the bedroom light and slid into bed, pulling the thick duvet over me. I checked the time on my phone and went to sleep immediately. As my eyes were closed, everything seemed absolutely black and dark… But there was someone in the room with me. With orange, shimmering, soul-destroying eyes. A navy blue tartan gown and kilt tied with a black ribbon, lime green shorts underneath, black and white socks and shoes, ginger hair, strong Cape Breton twang… It was Nova Scotia. But I was fast asleep at this point, so I didn't realize it was him. Nova Scotia breathed a puff of halitosis onto my face, grabbing hold of my arms, his orange, glimmering eyes so close to mine, my vision turned white…

**THE END.**


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